Yellowstone: Ultimate Wolf & Wildlife Safari

In the pale light of sunrise, we survey the open expanse of Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, searching for wolves. With expert naturalist guides at our side and spotting scopes poised, we hope to see a pack emerge from the forest, energized by the awakening day. In the distance, a large male halts and sniffs the frozen air as we sense the mystical aura of this beast of legend. Elegant predators, wolves are an important part of the Yellowstone ecosystem, where elk, bison and other prey provide sustenance. Winter’s white mantle offers a pristine backdrop against which to search for these elusive wilderness icons. The land itself is part of the magic, too, with steaming geysers and trees covered in ice crystals beneath an immaculate blue sky. Discover Yellowstone with us on this rare winter wildlife safari—your spirit will never be the same.

Trip Highlights

On this small-group Yellowstone adventure, search for wolves in the remote Lamar Valley—the best place on Earth to see them—with the aid of scientist researchers

Travel by private snowcoach to Old Faithful and watch steaming geysers erupt in a crystalline spray against the snowy backdrop

Journey by sleigh across the National Elk Refuge for close-up views of the vast winter herds beneath the Grand Teton spires

Wolves, Elk, Bison & More on One EPIC Winter Wildlife Adventure!

You simply won't find a more comprehensive itinerary through the winter depths of Yellowstone Country. On this one-of-a-kind wildlife odyssey, we capitalize on the quiet season, away from summer's crowds, to get you into the parks' hidden pockets via historic Bombardier snowcoaches. Our guides are intimately familiar with the habits and behavior of local wildlife, including Yellowstone's legendary wolves, and will do their utmost to reveal them. And there's nothing like watching animals against winter's mantle of glittering white snow. What else makes this rare nature adventure so distinctive? Read on!

A Small Group Enhances Your Chance to Observe Wildlife Our small group size—approximately 14 travelers plus two NHA Expedition Leaders and an adventure assistant—means you’ll travel in smaller vehicles that are able to access roads and places that tour buses can’t. Keeping our groups small also allows us to move quickly to areas where wolves and other wildlife have most recently been spotted, and to quietly observe them without disturbance. If you want to see wildlife—not just passing scenery out a bus window—this is the only way to go.

Custom-Outfitted Vehicles Built for Wildlife Viewing—This is Key!
We cannot overstate the importance of our customized safari vehicles for enhancing your wildlife-watching opportunities. Unlike other companies that rely on standard small buses for commercial group travel, we use safari-style vehicles designed especially for wildlife viewing, with roof hatches and large side windows that slide all the way open to enhance your perspective and access for photos. Plus, since we purposely don’t fill our vehicles to capacity, we have plenty of room for gear, and everyone gets a window seat. Our snowcoaches, likewise, are a cut above others': the historic Bombardiers we use are the most reliable and fuel-efficient snowcoaches available in the park—and they have roof hatches that facilitate wildlife viewing and photography from inside the vehicle! Other snowcoaches require you to step outside to get a full view and photos unimpeded by glass windows.

Take a Horse-Drawn Sleigh through the National Elk Refuge
The National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, provides, preserves and manages winter habitat for the nationally significant Jackson Elk Herd and for endangered birds and other big game animals. On a private horse-drawn sleigh ride, we’ll be able to get in among the elk for close-up photos of the thousands that winter here.

Visit with Local Naturalists and Photographers
Because of our long working relationships in the area, we're able to arrange a visit with Dan and Cindy Hartman, renowned Yellowstone naturalists and photographers who reside in Silver Gate, Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park. The Hartmans will join us for lunch and a presentation in Cooke City, where Dan owns a photography gallery.

Stay in Classic National Park Lodgings Usually Inaccessible in Winter
Among other accommodations that have been selected to keep you in close proximity to wildlife, you’ll have the special opportunity to stay at Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Inaccessible by road during winter, we’ll get you to your secluded lodgings via vintage bombardier snowcoaches—a trip highlight in their own right!

Your Expedition Leader Is a Professional Biologist, Naturalist and Educator
Our NHA Expedition Leaders have intimate knowledge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and its abundant wildlife. Your guide will be in constant communication with local wolf researchers, allowing your small group to have the most up-to-date, insider knowledge of wolf locations and activities. Our Expedition Leaders have been guiding in this region for an average of close to a decade, and they receive additional training and resources provided by WWF’s top scientists. We're proud that our guides are the ones called upon to train and teach new local guides. See Expedition Leader bioswith traveler comments regarding the quality of our leaders.

Our Quality-Value Guarantee Ensures Your Outstanding Winter Safari Experience
With Natural Habitat Adventures, you receive our exclusive guarantee that clearly states that we will meet the high expectations we set forth in our promotional materials. To our knowledge, this is the most ambitious guarantee made by any adventure travel company. Read our important promise.

Feel Good About the Way You Travel
We all care about the planet, and you can travel with us knowing that the emissions from your trip are 100-percent carbon-offset. Natural Habitat Adventures is the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company, a feature that is especially critical when considering that the world's wildlife is under substantial threat from our planet’s warming temperatures.

Natural Habitat Adventures Is World Wildlife Fund’s Travel Partner
Because of our commitment to environmentally friendly travel, as well as the exceptional quality of our small-group nature adventures, World Wildlife Fund, the world’s leading environmental conservation organization, has named Natural Habitat its worldwide travel partner — a designation that makes us exceedingly proud!

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Yellowstone Winter Photo Expedition

Discover the phenomenal photographic opportunities of Yellowstone’s quiet season, during the heart of winter when wolves and wildlife are more plentiful than people. Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks contain the largest concentration of free-roaming wildlife in the Lower 48, a nature photographer’s grail. Shaggy bison forage for food, their coats rimmed in frost, nostrils creating steam clouds in the frozen air. Elk congregate in vast herds. In the remote reaches of the Lamar Valley we watch for wolves, silently snapping the stealthy predators as they move through the powder. This all-encompassing nature adventure promises exquisite rewards for photographers!